No N2.1bn payment, no negotiation, ASUU tells LAUTECH

The Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Dr. Biodun Olaniran, has said the union will not negotiate with the management of the university until Oyo and Osun states pay N2.1bn to the institution.

The ASUU chairman, who said this in an interview with our correspondent in Osogbo on Tuesday, explained that the two owner states promised to pay three months’ salaries each but none of the states had paid over N1bn each to the coffers of the institution.

Olaniran put the wage bill of LAUTECH at N350m per month, saying each of the two states agreed to pay three months but he stated that the university management told the union that the money had yet to be paid to them.

He said the union was open to negotiation but the two states had not shown commitment, saying lecturers and other workers were being owed a year salary each.

The ASUU chairman said, “The university management invited us to a meeting on September 18th and we honoured the invitation. The management wanted to start discussing with us and we asked if the owner states had credited the university’s account but they said no.

“We told them there was no point going ahead with the negotiation because there was no commitment yet from the states. We told the management to inform us the moment the university’s account is credited and we would then negotiate with them. Without paying the money to the university, we won’t negotiate.

“We are open to negotiation but the two state governments are not ready to show any commitment. They have not paid a dime to the university and they owe us 12 months’ salaries. That is one whole year, from September 2016 to September 2017.”